


Safe

by Interverse



Series: Cherryberry - Alternate Timelines [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 10:35:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16574801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Interverse/pseuds/Interverse
Summary: Red has an accident, and Blue has to convince him that he's safe.





	Safe

**Author's Note:**

> The POV switches between Red and Blue.

If only he had been there sooner. Blue sat, his tears coming so quickly and in such great quantities that they streamed down his radii and ulnae as he pressed his palms to his eyesockets in an attempt to hold himself together. It was his fault. He was the one who chose to ignore the signs.

 

Red was sick, and he told Blue that he was, but for some reason, he hadn't believed him, and ushered him to work anyway. After all, he had a sentry station in Waterfall, and that was his favorite faction of the Underground, so it couldn't be all that bad, right? Plus, since he had moved to Underswap, work seemed like a walk in the park to Red after what he had to go through in his universe of origin.

 

Just a few hours prior, he had been writing up a report after he finished his daily patrol in his assigned area of Snowdin Forest, when one of the other sentries from the Hotlands rushed up to his station, panting as if they had just sprinted across half of the Underground. As it turned out, they had done just that, sent by Undyne to deliver a message. Red was hurt, and in her lab.

 

Blue left the monster there without a single word of response and ran twice as fast as they ever did all the way to the scientist’s lab and practically broke the doors down. “What happened?” He had demanded as soon as he found Undyne eating a cup of instant noodles at her desk.

 

The fish monster nearly spilled the broth all over herself in her startlement, then struggled to set it down without making a mess as she scrambled to her feet and adjusted her glasses. She explained, stuttering twice as much as normal, that Alphys had found Red in Waterfall, and not too far from where he was supposed to be, either, but the issue with the situation was evident with the way he was unconscious and at the bottom of a ditch.

 

Just an accident, just a fall. Normally a monster in Red’s situation would have been sent to a hospital, but Alphys knew that Red hated them, and her girlfriend’s lab was closer anyway, so that was where she had single handedly carried him. Undyne managed to stabilize him, but luck was on all of their sides, because Red certainly wouldn’t ever have woken up without assistance.

 

He had looked so gaunt and lifeless in that bed underneath the Lab, hooked to a dozen machines and curled up into a little ball as his instincts usually told him to do anyway. He had demanded to take him home, and Undyne hesitated, but Blue was thinking with his Soul more than his mind, so home it was.

 

Blue snapped his head up when the tiniest of shifting noises spread through the room. It had to be Red, right? Tears still streaming down his face, breathing ragged, Blue scrambled from his seat in the corner of his room and over to the bed they shared, where his boyfriend lay now. “Red?” his voice was hoarse and scratchy, coming out so weak that he could barely even hear it, but unless he was delusional, he saw his alternate’s sockets twitch as if they were struggling to open.

 

Blue choked out another sob, and cupped both of Red’s cheeks with his shaking hands, rubbing over the smooth bone of his face gently with his thumbs as he fought to steady his breathing. His Soul nearly stopped when his companion parted his sharp teeth ever so slightly, and weakly sucked in a breath, his eyesockets fluttering open. Red closed his mouth, then opened it again, probably planning to try saying something, but Blue claimed his mouth in a kiss before he could. He didn’t stay long, though, breaking away before Red even had the chance to react and doing it again elsewhere.

 

Blue smothered his lover’s face with kisses - to the mouth, nasal ridge, eyesockets, forehead, temples, and would have peppered his cheeks as well if he weren’t still holding them so tenderly. With each little touch of his teeth to the face of his monster he loved most in the world, Blue grew just the slightest bit more convinced that he was going to be okay. Red was here, warm and alive and conscious beneath him.

 

When he finally managed to tear himself away, his face was still slick with tears, but the flow had stopped enough so that he wasn’t accidentally giving Red any unwanted showers. "I-I’m…” he started, throat feeling very tight, “I’m s-so sorry,” he finally managed, voice cracking and ending in a whimper as his hands begun to shake again against his boyfriend’s face.

 

Red reopened his eyes, seeing as he was forced to close them to survive Blue’s assault of kisses, and his eyelights were dull, but certainly him. “For… what?” he croaked out in response, voice even raspier than usual.

 

“For…” Blue swallowed, “For not listening to you. You were unwell, I-I shouldn’t have even let you leave the _bed_ -”

 

“Hey,” Red murmured, cutting him off. Grimacing at the effort, the Fell monster pulled one of his arms out from under the blanket and brought it up to his face before weakly pressing it atop Blue’s. “I bitch and moan about things all the time, and we kinda do need money, so I don’t blame you.”

 

As Undyne had confirmed, Red was not bitching or moaning, but voicing his concerns honestly. One of his self-inflicted wounds had gone unattended, and Red was unlucky enough to have it get infected. A few days on a magic-cleansing serum and he would have been absolutely fine, but now here he was, lying injured and bedridden for weeks, at best. He had cracked several ribs in the fall, as well as snapped clean through one of his fibulae, so there was no way he was going to be standing any time soon now at all. Red was lucky that he hadn’t suffered any direct trauma to his skull or spine, because he might have dusted on impact if that were the case.

 

“Look,” Red continued, voice a bit more projected this time, “It was me who decided that throwing up into a deep-ass crack in the ground was a good idea. I mean, really, what kind of fucking idiot does that? The vertigo and very unfortunately placed root certainly didn’t help, but it’s not your fault, sweetheart. I just did a stupid, and kinda almost dusted and shit. No biggie.” He offered a crooked smile.

 

Despite himself, Blue let out a weak little laugh, finally letting go of Red’s face and instead grasping onto his hand with both of his own. “I…” he averted his eyes, then let out a heavy breath and looked back. “I… I was afraid you might have done it on purpose.”

 

Red’s eyelights flashed, and the Swap monster nearly burst into tears again. “I, um… I wouldn’t do that, Blue,” Red eventually responded.

 

“Are… are you sure?”

 

“Well… yeah, at least for now,” Red said. “I mean, just because sometimes I feel like getting myself infected and then almost falling to my death, it doesn’t mean that I’d want to leave you. Because, you know, I kinda love you way too much to do some dumb bullshit like that, Baby-Blue.”

 

Blue smiled through the tightness that still lingered in his chest, then leaned down with a deep breath and pressed a gentle kiss to his boyfriend’s forehead. “I love you too, Red. Way too much to ever let you do some dumb bullshit like that.”

 

Red laughed, but Blue didn’t miss how he winced afterwards. “Woah, Blue, did you just swear?”

 

“Damn right I did,” Blue said with a wink, eliciting another chuckle as the language, unusual from him, always did. “But, I should stop, because I don’t think ‘laughter is the best medicine’ applies when it’s also a direct cause of pain.”

 

“I uh- guess so,” Red said in response.

 

They sat in a relaxed silence for a while, Blue still clinging to Red’s hand for dear life, until a thought struck him. “Wait,” he started, looking down at his partner, “How did… nobody ever told you how you were sick. So…” his eyelights shrunk to tiny pinpricks. “You _knew?_  You knew why you were sick, and how to fix it, and you just mumbled about maybe having a _cold_?”

 

Red flinched, and Blue was hit hard with a sudden wave of regret for the harshness of his words. “I-I’m sorry Blue, I just… you know I’m not proud of myself when I decide to go all slicey-dicey, and I didn’t want you to be mad…” He looked up at him, as if gesturing.

 

Blue squeezed his hand tighter, drawing a shaky breath. “I’m not mad, Red, I’m sorry. You just… really scared me today, and I’m not at my best, which is what you deserve right now.”

 

Red sighed, seeming relieved. “Aye, don’t worry about it sweetheart, I’m safe.”

 

“Yeah,” Blue repeated, half in response to Red and half to convince himself of it. “You’re safe.”

\---

The next day, Red managed to sit. It wasn’t exactly pleasant, seeing as it felt like his leg was in a wood chipper and some rabid children were doing acrobatics on his ribcage, but it was also relieving to be able to use his hands again. Red laughed at his own unintentional innuendo, shamelessly pointing finger guns at the empty air, but quickly lowered his arms when a soft knock sounded at the door.

 

“Uh, yeah?” he said, cheeks tinted crimson. Stretch was really rubbing off on him. ...Ha. Wait, dammit, no-

 

Blue opened the door, plate in one hand and a cup held against his body. “Hey, Red! Are you hungry?” he asked as he passed the cup to his free hand, which was probably where it had resided before he needed to grab the doorknob.

 

Red raised a browbone, taking a moment to consider that it would have made more sense to ask that before bringing him food, but it did no harm. He hadn’t eaten since his fall, and he felt about ready to start munching on the bedding or something. “Oh you bet I am. I could eat a dick.”

 

Blue sighed heavily, shaking his head. “Well, at least I know you’re not injured mentally as well as physically, because that sounds exactly like something you would say. But sorry,” he continued, “I’m fresh out of those. I did make you this, though. I hope it’s as good as...” he winced in preparation for his words, “...Dick.”

 

Red laughed, and it was of course painful, but honestly, he didn’t give a shit. It just felt way too good to get out of work and hear his boyfriend speak of dicks in any capacity, plus, what he had been brought was his second favorite thing to eat. Aside from dick, obviously. “A burger?”

 

“Yeah,” Blue replied, setting down a plate donned with just that along with some fries on the nightstand. “I know it isn’t Grillby’s, but I couldn’t go all the way to the Hotlands and leave you here by yourself,” he explained as he handed Red the drink and set a bottle of mustard down alongside the food. “And sorry,” he added, “But alcohol isn’t advisable when you’re still on a bunch of medication, so this will have to do.”

 

“Eh.” Of course Red would have loved to drown his very painful sorrows in the most intoxicating substance he could find, but he would really rather not cause his alternate any more worry than he already had. “This is fine, thanks,” he said, before downing the entire soda in a few seconds. This was still great, considering that Blue rarely bought sugary drinks, insisting that it was better had in food than in something so empty.

 

He handed Blue the cup before continuing. “And no worries. You know that Grillby’s tastes like Stretch’s ass compared to your cooking.”

 

Blue groaned loudly, pressing his fingers to his temples. “How- what- I… you know what? I don’t even want to know,” he huffed, lowering his hands and picking up the plate.

 

He sat on the edge of the bed and handed it to Red, along with the bottle of mustard, but the larger skeleton just stared down at the food skeptically. “Um, is anything wrong?” Blue asked.

 

“Most definitely,” Red scoffed in response. “I’m way too lazy to pick up food. Like, what the fuck? Do you even realize what you’re _asking_ me here?”

 

Blue giggled. “My most humble of apologies, sir. Let me see if I can earn your forgiveness.”

 

He opened the mustard and poured an ungodly amount onto the plate, just as Red liked it, then dunked a fry in and extended it to his mouth. Red snatched it up and swallowed it practically without chewing, as was the norm for him. The plate was empty within minutes, and after a relaxed, uneventful day, it was time for sleep.

 

But he soon awoke to blackness, Soul racing and breaths ragged. Blue squeezed his shoulder from beside him, painfully far away as he couldn’t touch his ribs or legs due to his injuries. Even so, the steady feeling of his boyfriend’s grip brought him back from the darkness of whatever nightmare had wormed its way into his sleeping mind.

 

Blue rolled over and moved as close to him as he could, so that Red could feel the warmth of his alternate’s body against his. “You’re safe” Blue whispered into the side of his skull, before pressing a kiss there and nuzzling into his clavicle.

 

“Safe,” Red repeated, already slipping back into the grasp of his fatigue.

\---

Another week, and Red was able to stand, both because he was healing well, and because the super techy splint not available to the rest of the Underground from Undyne was proving quite useful. Two days after that, and he had made it to the staircase, but it was yet another week before he was able to reach the bottom of it, even with Blue holding him the entire way.

 

He was able to walk unsupported at that point, but Blue still insisted on keeping him encased in his arms all the way to the couch, and when they both collapsed onto it, Red ended up in his lap. Blue smiled, Soul fluttering as he embraced his companion and breathed in his warm, familiar scent. He traced lovingly over the scars on his ribs, careful of the healing fractures, and allowed a tear to leak from one of his sockets. Red was safe.

\---

Two more weeks marked the time when Red was able to return to work. Tomorrow, though, because fuck that. He still shouldn’t be sprinting or doing cartwheels or anything, but he was able to walk and traverse the stairs normally without the brace, as well as survive Blue’s usual cascade of crushing hugs, so he should be fine sitting at his station.

 

Even so, though, it didn’t mean that he was healthy in every respect. Because, despite everything, he still sat that night, crimson tears streaming down his cheeks as he held a razor in his trembling hand. He was disgusting, wasn’t he? Fucked up and dragging down a little ball of kindness that decided dealing with him was worth the trouble. He was hurting Blue. He had to be. Here he was, crying and feeling sorry for his worthless self. So, despite feeling amazing, hurting himself would also make them even, right? It was fair. He was doing the right thing.

 

But when he pressed the blade to his radii, he couldn’t bring himself to push any harder or move it. No, he was safe. Safe, safe, safe. He didn’t need to do this, did he? What would Blue say? Probably the same shit he always did. Right..? Only one way to find out. He gripped the razor tightly in his hand and walked from their room, descending the stairs to find Blue washing dishes in the kitchen. The smaller skeleton turned around at the sound of his lopsided footsteps, pulling off the dish gloves he had been wearing and offering up a smile, but it fizzled out as soon as he saw what state his lover was in.

 

Red stared Blue in the eyes, doing his best not to flinch away as his alternate stared at his tired, tear-streaked face, and held his arm out to his side. He gave Blue ample time to examine the razor pinched between his thumb and forefinger, then dropped it, where it landed safely in the trash. Blue rushed forward, tackling him in a hug and balling his shirt up tightly in his fists against his spine. Red returned the hold, and they stood there for what must have been at least fifteen minutes before he finally spoke. “I’m safe, right?”

 

“You’re safe,” Blue immediately breathed into the crook of his neck.

 

“Then I guess it doesn’t make much sense to make myself un-safe, huh?”

 

“You know you can…” Blue trailed off, struggling with the words. “You know you can just find something else to do it with…”

 

Red pulled Blue away from the hug, and gripped his face with both hands just like he had done for him the first time he had woken up after his fall. “I know,” he said steadily as he looked down at his partner, eyelights blazing. “But I love you, Blue, and I know you’ll keep me safe anyway.”

 

Blue roughly pulled him back into their embrace, pressing their teeth together and allowing a tear to leak from one of his sockets as he reached up to cup the back of Red’s skull. “I will,” he whispered against his mouth.

 

_And I love you too._


End file.
